Telescoping tail assemblies for use on aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12337960-B2
Application number	US-202318140528-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2023
Priority date	Jan 5, 2022
Publication date	Jun 24, 2025
Grant date	Jun 24, 2025

Abstract

A telescoping tail assembly for use on an aircraft that has a fore-aft length. The telescoping tail assembly includes a housing extending in an aftward direction and a tailboom slidable along the housing into various positions including an extended position and a retracted position. A jackscrew is coupled to the tailboom. An actuator is coupled to the jackscrew and is configured to selectively rotate the jackscrew to translate the tailboom between the plurality of positions. The tailboom has one or more control surfaces coupled thereto. The tailboom increases the fore-aft length of the aircraft in the extended position and decreases the fore-aft length of the aircraft in the retracted position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A telescoping tail assembly for use on an aircraft having a fore-aft length, the telescoping tail assembly comprising:
a housing extending in an aftward direction;
a tailboom slidable along the housing into a plurality of positions including an extended position and a retracted position;
a jackscrew coupled to the tailboom, the jackscrew coaxial with the tailboom;
an actuator coupled to the jackscrew, the actuator configured to selectively rotate the jackscrew to translate the tailboom between the plurality of positions; and
one or more control surfaces coupled to the tailboom;
wherein, a portion of the tailboom and the jackscrew are disposed within the housing;
wherein, the jackscrew is coaxial with the housing such that the jackscrew, the housing and the tailboom are coaxial in both the extended and retracted positions;
wherein, the tailboom increases the fore-aft length of the aircraft in the extended position and decreases the fore-aft length of the aircraft in the retracted position; and
wherein, the actuator is configured to automatically move the tailboom into the retracted position upon landing.

2. The telescoping tail assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein, the housing is an outer housing having an aft end forming a rear aperture; and
wherein, the tailboom is an inner tailboom slidably receivable into the outer housing via the rear aperture.

3. The telescoping tail assembly as recited in claim 1 further comprising an annular aft bearing interposed between the housing and the tailboom adjacent an aft end of the housing, the aft bearing configured to support the tailboom in the plurality of positions.

4. The telescoping tail assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein, the actuator is a rotary electromechanical actuator.

5. The telescoping tail assembly as recited in claim 1 further comprising a limiter interposed between the housing and the tailboom, the limiter configured to limit the tailboom from extending past a predetermined extended position.

6. The telescoping tail assembly as recited in claim 5 wherein, the tailboom has a forward end having an enlarged dimension configured to abut the limiter in the predetermined extended position.

7. The telescoping tail assembly as recited in claim 5 wherein, the limiter is an adjustable limiter movable and selectively lockable along a length of the housing to change the predetermined extended position of the tailboom.

8. The telescoping tail assembly as recited in claim 7 wherein, the housing forms a plurality of adjustment holes extending along the length of the housing and the limiter forms one or more pin receivers, the telescoping tail assembly further comprising:
one or more adjustment pins receivable by the plurality of adjustment holes in the housing and the one or more pin receivers of the limiter to secure the limiter at a location along the length of the housing.

9. The telescoping tail assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein, the tailboom translates between the plurality of positions relative to the housing and relative to the jackscrew responsive to rotation of the jackscrew.

10. The telescoping tail assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein, the tailboom further comprises a jackscrew cavity; and
wherein, the jackscrew is received within and is rotatable relative to the jackscrew cavity such that rotation of the jackscrew translates the tailboom between the plurality of positions.

11. A propulsion assembly for an aircraft, the propulsion assembly having a fore-aft length, the propulsion assembly comprising:
a nacelle having forward and aft ends;
a rotor assembly coupled to the forward end of the nacelle; and
a telescoping tail assembly at the aft end of the nacelle, the telescoping tail assembly comprising:
a housing extending in an aftward direction;
a tailboom slidable along the housing into a plurality of positions including an extended position and a retracted position;
a jackscrew coupled to the tailboom, the jackscrew coaxial with the tailboom;
an actuator coupled to the jackscrew, the actuator configured to selectively rotate the jackscrew to translate the tailboom between the plurality of positions; and
one or more control surfaces coupled to the tailboom;
wherein, a portion of the tailboom and the jackscrew are disposed within the housing;
wherein, the jackscrew is coaxial with the housing such that the jackscrew, the housing and the tailboom are coaxial in both the extended and retracted positions;
wherein, the tailboom increases the fore-aft length of the propulsion assembly in the extended position and decreases the fore-aft length of the propulsion assembly in the retracted position; and
wherein, the actuator is configured to automatically move the tailboom into the retracted position upon landing.

12. The propulsion assembly as recited in claim 11 wherein, the housing is an outer housing having an aft end forming a rear aperture; and
wherein, the tailboom is an inner tailboom slidably receivable into the outer housing via the rear aperture.

13. The propulsion assembly as recited in claim 11 further comprising an annular aft bearing interposed between the housing and the tailboom adjacent an aft end of the housing, the aft bearing configured to support the tailboom in the plurality of positions.

14. The propulsion assembly as recited in claim 11 further comprising a limiter interposed between the housing and the tailboom, the limiter configured to limit the tailboom from extending past a predetermined extended position, the limiter movable and selectively lockable along a length of the housing to change the predetermined extended position of the tailboom.

15. The propulsion assembly as recited in claim 11 wherein, the tailboom translates between the plurality of positions relative to the housing and relative to the jackscrew responsive to rotation of the jackscrew.

16. An aircraft operable to transition between thrust-borne lift in a VTOL orientation and wing-borne lift in a biplane orientation, the aircraft comprising:
an airframe; and
a thrust array attached to the airframe, the thrust array including a plurality of propulsion assemblies each having a fore-aft length, each propulsion assembly comprising:
a nacelle having forward and aft ends;
a rotor assembly coupled to the forward end of the nacelle; and
a telescoping tail assembly at the aft end of the nacelle, the telescoping tail assembly comprising:
a housing extending in an aftward direction;
a tailboom slidable along the housing into a plurality of positions including an extended position and a retracted position;
a jackscrew coupled to the tailboom, the jackscrew coaxial with the tailboom;
an actuator coupled to the jackscrew, the actuator configured to selectively rotate the jackscrew to translate the tailboom between the plurality of positions; and
one or more control surfaces coupled to the tailboom;
wherein, a portion of the tailboom and the jackscrew are disposed within the housing;
wherein, the jackscrew is coaxial with the housing such that the jackscrew, the housing and the tailboom are coaxial in both the extended and retracted positions;
wherein, the tailboom increases the fore-aft length of each propulsion assembly in the extended position and decreases the fore-aft length of each propulsion assembly in the retracted position; and
wherein, the actuator is configured to automatically move the tailboom into the retracted position upon landing.

17. The aircraft as recited in claim 16 wherein, for each propulsion assembly, the housing is an outer housin

Assignees

• Textron Innovations Inc

Inventors

• Schafer Steven Ryan

Classifications

• B64C39/024

  of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV · CPC title

• B64C9/00

  Adjustable control surfaces or members, e.g. rudders (trimming stabilising surfaces B64C5/10) · CPC title

• B64C5/18

  in area · CPC title

• B64C1/063

  Folding or collapsing to reduce overall dimensions, e.g. foldable tail booms · CPC title

• B64C39/08

  having multiple wings · CPC title